Will a Stock 2008 Cayman S Rally? Heck Yes It Will

It's no Subaru WRX, but driving a Cayman in the snow looks like a blast if you know what you're doing.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Image for article titled Will a Stock 2008 Cayman S Rally? Heck Yes It Will
Screenshot: Team O’Neil/YouTube

If you have the money, a Porsche Cayman is one of the best sports cars you can buy. They’re low, quick, comfortable and an absolute blast to drive thanks to their mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. But even with winter tires, you wouldn’t think the Cayman would be something you’d want to drive fast in the snow. That’s what your Cayenne is for.

And yet, the folks at FCP Euro have plans to build a rally Cayman. Before modifying it to be a better rally car, they handed their stock 2008 Porsche Cayman S over to Team O’Neil so Wyatt Knox could test it out. The goal was simple: answer the question, “Will a Cayman rally?” And not to spoil the video for you, but as it turns out, hell yeah it will.

Advertisement

That said, we probably should have included an asterisk with that answer. You’re not going to be chasing down a Subaru WRX in the snow behind the wheel of a Cayman. And it’s going to take skill to hang the tail out without consistently spinning out. Most people aren’t going to be able to do it, but most people also aren’t Wyatt Knox.

By the time he gets to the timed run on the rally course, it’s clear the Cayman isn’t destined for the top of the leaderboard. But who cares? It’s tail-out, big-grin fun. And Knox actually has the skill to link those corners together in one beautiful, silly run. And believe it or not, it was actually faster than the all-wheel-drive Mini that he tested earlier. But was it faster than a basic old Corolla? You’ll have to watch the video below to find out.

Will It Rally? Porsche Cayman S